The Industry and Energy areas of AXPE Consulting are growing at a very rapid pace, and the forecasts for 2018 are very positive. The sectors covered by these areas are numerous: Retail, Consumer Goods, Automotive, Industrial Equipment, Private Universities, Professional Services, and Energy, among many others. Marcos Moreno is the Business Development Manager for the company in the Industry and Energy areas:

Q: AXPE was founded in 1999, and the Industry and Energy areas of AXPE Consulting have existed practically since the company’s inception. In 2017, they gained great importance within the company. What is the reason for this expansion in the sector by AXPE?

A: The Industry and Energy areas are strategic for AXPE. In this regard, we have made a significant effort to equip ourselves with highly qualified professionals in these areas, which has allowed us to create a portfolio of services and sectoral specialization (in both functional and technical areas) relevant in the market. In this sense, we are working to expand the types of services we provide to our current clients and also to start working with organizations with which we have never had activity in the past.

Q: So you have prospects for these areas to grow very quickly during 2018 and become a fundamental pillar of the company.

A: Correct. The growth expectations for 2018 are very high. We want to increase our activity in these two areas, and for that, we have developed an ambitious (but achievable) plan with clear and defined objectives, and we trust we will fulfill it throughout this year and the following ones.

Q: If everything goes as expected, do you plan to expand the workforce?

A: Of course, the current team of business consultants is highly capable and has a lot of potential, but we need new professionals to cover the current demand.

Q: What kind of profiles are you looking for? What qualities should people who want to join your team possess?

A: We are looking for proactive people, with imagination and a great desire to work. People who enjoy new challenges and can thrive in dynamic and demanding environments. We also like our people to be curious and eager to learn new things. Additionally, they should have excellent communication skills, capable of synthesizing complex concepts and conveying them in a simple and concise manner.

Q: In the Industry area, you have clients of different types, from the automotive sector to professional services or consumer goods, among many others. What is your target? What kind of companies are you targeting and why?

A: The type of companies we target is very diverse: from large retailers to large law firms. As you can see, within this area, we deal with very varied clients. We say it is a market with a wide fragmentation of clients. We are making a special effort to segment them adequately so that we can address each subsector with a personalized value proposition that takes their needs into account.

Q: Do you have clients within all the subsectors related to Industry and Energy?

A: Yes, we already have clients in all subsectors. However, we have significant growth potential, so we will continue working to get more clients to know us. We can only achieve this with humility, enthusiasm, and hard work.

Q: What are the technological trends in the sector in 2018? Which one would you highlight and why?

A: Some of the technological trends that we believe will have the greatest impact in the coming years in the Industry and Energy areas are “The Internet of Things,” “Advanced Data Analytics (Big Data),” “Robotics,” and “Industry 4.0 / Utilities 4.0.”

Regarding “Advanced Data Analytics (Big Data),” the vast majority of clients already have their data stored in “Data Warehouses,” but they need to take the next step; they need to start extracting real knowledge from this stored data and require it to be done intelligently and automatically. Clients are asking us for help to define the strategy, design the architecture, and implement the technological platforms that allow generating this knowledge from the data automatically and managing both structured information (the classic database) and unstructured information (images, social media data, etc.). We guide companies to become what we call a ‘Data Driven Company’ at AXPE, so they achieve a single version of the data that helps them optimize their processes and provide greater value to their clients.